Re: [Phys-L] electric cars

[John Denker <jsd@av8n.com>]

On 06/20/2012 08:59 AM, Anthony Lapinski wrote:

> Any advice for people thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle?

The taxicab industry is rapidly adopting the Prius.  This is
a very non-sentimental low-margin business, so I reckon they
wouldn't do this if it didn't pay ... taking into account all
factors including reliability.  Note that they drive a huge
distance per year, so the fuel savings rapidly offset the
higher capital cost.

The reliability is not perfect, but good and getting better.
In a friend's Prius, the main battery died.  This happened 
in the 59th month of the 60-month warranty, so they replaced
it for free ... but if it had happened a couple of months
later there would have been an ugly scene.

> about 10k mi/yr (25 mi/day).

That's not a huge distance.  Recouping the capital cost will
take longer.  OTOH if the cost of gas goes up, you win big.
I reckon gas is more likely to go up than go down.

Tangential remark:  For some people, "fun to drive" must be
taken into consideration when shopping for a car.  To my
taste, the Prius does pretty well in this department, but
you should check this for yourself.

I have zero information about non-hybrid plug-in cars.